Reconciliation
by TheMoonShrine
Summary: When Harry and the others finish a face-to-face duel with the dark lords, Professor Snape vanishes from the site, severely hurt. Harry, worried, attempts to search for the man but ends up finding something that astonishes him.


In the dimness of twilight, an eerie fog had settled at the foot on the menacingly tall trees of the Forbidden Forest. With each passing second, the murkiness grew to conceal the view of the vicinity for a few meters ahead.

Disguised against the shadows, a man limped swiftly and soundlessly forward as if on a hurry. Occasionally, he grunted through clenched teeth. Suddenly he broke into a wavering, blind run, violently brushing past protruding branches that scraped his shoulder through his robes. He gasped for breath as he collapsed against a large tree. By this time, dark had settled well enough that one wouldn't be able to see their hands even if it were to be in front of their face. The man blinked and looked around trying to make out an indication of an unseen pursuer.

The wind howled slightly as it moved through the forest, shifting the low clouds, disclosing the bright moon onto the forest. The man tried to glimpse up slightly but winced in pain.

"…Harry…" He breathed out painfully, shutting his eyes. He tried bringing up pleasant thoughts of the lad but only the unpleasant ones floated around in his mind. When _did_ they have a pleasant time?

"…Damn it…" The man spat angrily. He grew more troubled thinking of the younger man. What if he was in trouble? He fixed his beady black eyes on the bright moon. Reciting a mental vendetta-'Harry', he morphed into his animagus.

"Severus!" Harry shouted.

His heart thudded fast against his chest as he gripped his wand, tightly. He steadied his eyes looking carefully around.

"Lumos." He muttered to his wand, which lit up from its tip.

The Death Eaters had fled the scene, once again. Frustration and anger welled up inside Harry knowing another chance had been wasted. But moreover, what distressed Harry the most was that Severus had gone missing while being brutally wounded.

Seconds were turning into minutes and minutes turned into hours. Though Harry knew that Snape was oblivious to the fact that he has taken a degree of fondness the older man, his mind whirled thinking of his beloved marooned somewhere, helpless.

"Severus!" Harry screamed again, his voice at the point of breaking.

The sound of twigs breaking made Harry turn, in time to see a strange white wisp floating into the denseness of the forest. Harry whipped around and started a chase after it. He glided over fallen logs as fast as his legs could carry him. The white wisp came to a halt by a large tree trunk. Hung from a twisted tree branch was a black cloth, seeming to have ripped. A sense of foreboding flooded through Harry as he realized the cloth was very much like the ones Snape wears. He grabbed the cloth and examined it, and became panicked as he noticed some blood. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling restless with a tinge of fear. He suddenly glanced down at a pool of glistening crimson.

"SHIT!" He yelled in fury, taking off again following the barely visible trails of blood.

His surroundings became as bright as day, as he approached, what looked like a stag. Its sides heaved as if struggling for breath. The pool of blood lead right to the neck of the magical being. Though there were no scars, Harry knew something must be wrong. Its head lay pressed to the ground with its huge antlers caked with soil and mud. The stag took a shallow breath, staring at Harry, intently.

Harry walked precariously towards the animal with measured steps. The stag looked at him in terror. Attempting to get up, the stag broke down spitting up blood.

"It's okay… I'm not here to hurt you." Harry whispered breathlessly. He had seen the stag before somewhere.

For some inexplicable reason, Harry had the sudden urge to shout 'Severus'. His brows furrowed but nonetheless, he muttered,"…S-Severus…" His voice broke slightly as if for a fleeting moment, he felt the corners of his eyes sting. "W-where… are … you?" He put his hand on the deer's hindquarters. Pulling out his wand, he whispered a small curative spell onto the deer's chest, but the deer merely moved an inch. When the spell failed, Harry stepped back in alarm.

"You're an…A-animagus…"

The deer shifted its neck and stared at Harry with its twinkling black eyes intensely, almost as if it were about to pounce. Suddenly, its shape changed and standing before Harry was, Severus Snape.

"S-SEVERUS!" Harry exclaimed dropping to his knees and violently wrapping his arms around the other man.

"Well done, Potter, you found me." Snape cooed quietly in a slightly hoarse, but also in his usual soft and deep voice. Though the words contained a bit of menace, it was like music to Harry's ears. Just as long as his Severus was okay...

Harry smiled slightly, but as soon as his fingers touched a deep wound on Snape's chest, he gaped in horror. He carefully spread the remaining of the robes that were covered in blood, revealing a foot long gash of ripped and bleeding flesh across Snape's chest and neck. Snape gazed at Harry, in his vacant expression as if unaffected by the pain. Though his wound felt like it were on fire, the delicate way Harry was touching him made his skin tingle with a strange feeling. He wanted to make the kid stop but he was too internally mesmerized by the face that Harry was making.

"Y-you're….Bl-bleeding...Profess-"

"I know that."

Harry was suddenly aware of the pungent and metallic smell of blood that surrounded them. A howl sounded from the back, whereupon turning around, Harry saw red eyes.

"…Wolves…" Snape whispered, his eyes narrowing.

In the dark, there was a thudding of paw steps and a loud snarl as a large, shabby brown wolf leaped out from a nearby log. The wolf was tailed by its large pack hurdling towards the duo.

Harry gripped his wand and stuck it out reluctantly, hands shaking. "I think it's best if we get out of here. They're here for the blood."

Behind him, Severus smiled very inwardly marveling over the fact that Harry had, indeed, come for him. He touched his wound and the surrounding clothes. It certainly wouldn't be long before, he would collapse. His vision blurred slightly as he heard Harry shouting spells. He wanted to get a hold of his wand and aid Harry but as soon as he moved, a paralyzing pain broke out through his muscles. He bit his lip hard, holding back a cry.

"Severus! Don't move!" Harry commanded.

Before Severus could do anything, everything had faded to blackness.

Severus woke to the warmth and crackling of wood on fire. His upper half felt bare and he was slightly sweating. Straining his eyes open, he glimpsed at a strangely muttering Harry.

"Recifere Vulnus." He spoke to his wand, which gave a tiny spark. A bead of sweat slid down Harry's forehead to his cheeks which harry brushed away impatiently.

"Okay, let's try again." Harry shook his wand slightly and drew it near Snape's exposed chest and onto the wound once again. "Dimdius Sanare!"

A small spark ignited once again but only managed to mend a very small but of the dried wound. Harry balled up his fists in frustration. He eyed Snape wearily. When his eyes fell on Snape's body, he bit his lip slightly. Though the professor was not getting any younger, he had well-defined muscles. His pale skin had a very prominent distinction from the dark clothes he normally wore that covered him almost entirely.

 _No wonder he has something to hide,_ Harry thought getting a fluttering feeling almost like an odd excitement. He glanced at the older man's glistening midnight black hair, which had grown longer, imagining how it would feel if he ran a hand through it. He shook his head furiously at the direction of his thoughts and strode to a nearby table and picked up a large cluster of cobwebs. He mumbled weirdly to himself and held up his wand to the cluster.

Snape lay transfixed to his spot watching the boy's train of fleeting emotions that surfaced on his face. The look that Harry had made before walking off, left him flabbergasted. What was that supposed to mean? Why was Harry doing this? Was it...

"Densare." Harry muttered angrily. Instantly the cobwebs thickened to almost like cotton. He walked over to the bed, finding his professor sitting up and staring at him. His heart gave a leap as he caught Severus's eye. He placed the cloth delicately on the older man's chest. He wondered why the man hadn't repulsed when he touched him.

Without thought, Snape stood up and reached out, getting a hold of Harry's hand as he was about to leave. "…Harry.."

Harry almost flinched and stopped dead in his tracks as he heard his name. He looked back at the man in shocked silence. Severus had never called him by his first name.

"Professor…?" Harry murmured, his voice quavering. He reluctantly turned around and faced the other man, carefully watching him.

Severus didn't know what made him do that, but he didn't regret it. Something in him shifted as his eyes fell on the slender, hazel-eyed teen, who looked so much like his father, a man Severus had once hated. He felt an unnatural thirst and temptation for something he didn't know, but now he felt incomplete without it. He grasped both of Harry's hands in his.

Harry tried not to tremble but he knew Severus had already sensed this. His palms went cold in the man's hands. He gazed at the ebony depths of Severus's eyes which resembled a well with no bottom. Something dangerous was lurking within those depths; something that made Harry's skin crawl. Severus's face was half illuminated by the moonlight and the fire. There were lined not only by age but, Harry realized, also long ancient scars. Nevertheless, Snape's eyes were fierce and mysterious, but also so dark and unfathomable. His pale face peered at Harry.

Suddenly he made a face which Harry had never seen before. "…Thank you, Harry…" Snape's somber voice broke the silence.

Harry was taken aback.

"I should've told you before…" Snape whispered ever so quietly, pulling Harry close. "…How much I…" He searched Harry's face, pensively, as if wondering whether to say more or not. To his dismay, Harry stayed mute. Ignoring it, he continued. "…I care about you."

Harry felt Snape's grip loosen around his wrist as he looked away with a disgusted expression. Harry stared at the man, unable to comprehend or respond.

"I've…never been able to…express…myself…" The words tumbled out of Severus's mouth before he could stop them. He had the feeling of repugnance at himself, again. How could he be so imprudent? Why had he said so much? He let go of Harry's hand. He didn't want to see the disgusted look; not again. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. What if he said something utterly stupid again? "I'm sor-"

"No, professor, I care about…you a lot…as well…" Harry said, his voice barely audible. "I care about…you… _so_ …much."

The men stared at each other in buzzed stillness. Snape looked at the wet tips of Harry's hair. He'd been so nervous that he'd sweated himself to a puddle. The hazel eyes were looking tired and weary and had dark circles forming. The boy was doing all that he could do so that his professor was healed and protected. Severus paused, his face in a mixture of emotions. He felt so, _so_ grateful for this boy.

Severus violently pulled the boy close into his protective arms as if he was never going to let go and kissed Harry's forehead, hard and lovingly. Harry pressed himself against the other man, almost on the verge of tears. He needed the warmth. The frustration, fear, anxiety, and anger was flowing out in rivers of emotions from his eyes.

"I..love.. you,Severus." Harry sobbed out in between hard breaths. Harry put his face on Severus's chest, on top of his bandaging, still wrapped in the older man's embrace. Everything was flowing out, bit by bit, as he came apart in front of his Severus. He trembled miserably as the tears flowed down.

Severus stroked Harry's hair attempting to calm the kid. He felt a different sort of emotion flicker somewhere within, an emotion he hadn't felt in a very long time. He didn't want to let the kid go almost as if, if he did then, he would leave him just as Lily had. He knew he wouldn't be able to live with it. He placed his hands on either side of Harry's face and looked into the kid's emerald eyes that were veiled by long eyelashes coated with tears like drops of dew.

Harry put his palms against Severus's chest and stared back at his professor with puffy eyes. He closed his eyes as Severus wiped off the tears with his thumb. His fingers brushed delicately against Harry's nose and lips. Harry's stomach lurched and his mind began to have weird thoughts again. The tips of his fingers were suddenly very aware to the smoothness of the other man's chest and also conscious of the fact that he had been cornered. His heart was beating a mile a minute as his skin was prickling with anticipation, staring into the dark mass in Severus's eyes.

"You know what, Harry?" Snape breathed ever so quietly to Harry. The only sound between them was the crackling of fire. "It was hard walking around with a poker face."

 _Crap._ Harry's cheeks flared up and he felt dazed. _To think, I was just crying a minute ago…_ The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he felt himself getting goosebumps. A trickle of sweat slid down his forehead. The room around him made him feel so hot all of a sudden.

Snape's eyes hadn't left him, but rather he watched Harry's every minute movement, with his unreadable expression. Sometimes, he couldn't fathom how exact the young man's eyes were to his mother's. It was almost as if he was staring right at Lily.

Harry was aware of Snape's predatory expression that was hiding all his emotions and thoughts and everything else from the surface, all at once. The man's warm breath was tickling Harry's lower lip and he licked the place, involuntarily. Severus mimicked him slightly, not taking his eyes off Harry.

Harry's last restraint gave away as his lips met Severus's. To his surprise, Severus took the approach well, giving Harry a slow and feverish kiss. Harry's surroundings blurred as he drowned into the temptation, savoring the hot wetness of Severus's mouth. His hands traveled through the older man's shoulder-length, jet black hair. Snape kissed him hard and hungrily, growing more aggressive. Harry's muscles tensed but he accepted the challenge, kissing Severus back more passionately. Before Harry could make a second move, a pinch of pain broke out on his bottom lip as the other man bit him. Instead of crying out, Harry let out a stifled moan.

"Nnn…Sev…" Harry whimpered unable to say anything further.

Harry's stomach lurched in excitement while his veins burst into flames, feeling Severus's lips trail the wet passionate kisses down his neck. Harry gasped for breath as chest tightened, feeling the other man's teeth graze his collarbone. A trail of saliva dripped down Harry's open mouth as his head tilted back against the wall as his mind buzzed with ecstasy. Wherever, Severus touched, Harry felt electrifying jolts of pleasure blinding him mercilessly. Suddenly, Harry felt his wrists become confined in Severus's dominant grasp. His arms rose and got pinned against the wall, above his head.

Severus gazed at Harry with the ghost of a smile playing at his lips. A hushed breath escaped him as he resumed the wet kissing. While his one hand was occupied in holding Harry against the wall, his other hand feathered fleeting touches across the lad's pale, soft skin.

"…Harry…" Severus whispered hotly, gnawing gently at the tips of Harry's ear.

"Ah…Se…verus…" Harry choked out. His mind was flooded in the waves of intoxicating euphoria that rippled throughout his body.

Severus couldn't hold himself back either. The conscious part of him had shown great shock and had repulsed against his imprudent choice of assaulting the poor kid. But somewhere in his dark subconscious mind, he was relishing over the sight of the younger man withering in pleasure under him.

 _Damn it._ He cursed himself.

Harry was dragged back to reality as the strong hands around his wrist released him. His sight was still blurred but he glanced at the older man's voracious look still surveying him.

"You never cease to surprise me…" The words came out slowly from Severus's mouth.

"…Neither do you."Harry blurted, half grinning.

Severus raised an eyebrow, astonished. He smiled endearingly at Harry. Pulling Harry into a warm embrace, he placed a lingering kiss on the young lad's forehead.


End file.
